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Son Of Sardaar

Had the apple seen Son of Sardaar first, it would never have fallen on Newton’s head. Talking about the film is as predictably pointless as the film itself. The exaggerated action sequences and silly comedy may entertain some of the audience, but as a film-crazy nation, we surely deserve far better.

Son Of Sardaar - Preview

Better known as a dialogue writer than a director, Ashwani Dhir directs his third film, Son of Sardaar - this Diwali's quota of comedy. It looks more slapsticky and the typical over-the top that goes with it. Ajay Devgn seems to be playing a macho character but goes wimpy when confronted by Sanjay Dutt.

With Sonakshi Sinha as lead lady, we can forget all about entertainment in the form of dance because the woman has a knack of juicing the grace out of dance. Just take a look at this!

Interestingly, the only thing that comes through from the trailers about the story is that Ajay Devgn's character has offended Sanjay Dutt's character somehow and the latter is just bidding time before he can lay his hands on the former. And in the process everyone overacts. Nothing in whatever we've been exposed to thus far seems to indicate that we are in for any coherent plot. It is after all, earmarked to be that kind of non-sensical extravaganza.

However, not all seems to be lost as you see some attempt at acting in this song called 'Bichhdan'. Also, there is a promise of relief in the form of Juhi Chawla, but she too can give into excess like some of her adverts show.

Yet, there is only so much hope you can have from a film starring Ajay Devgn and Sanjay Dutt that has to rely on Salman Khan to sell the film. Is this what we have come down to? Really?

Anyway, this one is unapologetically going to thrown in a lot of Punjabi cliches, starting right from the title, promos and down to each song!

This article is by guest author Pradeep Menon. Pradeep is a filmmaker and a dreamer. He loves books, rain, winters, tea and his parents. Cinema, however, is the only truth he believes in. He breathes and bleeds film, mostly in hues of saffron, white, green and blue. You can watch his short films at www.youtube.com/cyberpradeep.

If the missing vowel in ‘Ajay Devgn’ has been puzzling you, you must know that his company’s name is Ajay Devgn Ffilms. Yes, the double-F in ‘ffilms’ is not a typo. Clearly, ffilm people seem to assume that India’s collective IQ dives far south during the festive season. While that may not be entirely false, I am sure that at least logic and the laws of physics are a tad bit more universal than the buffoonery that some of our big, festive releases subject us to. Mildly amusing at best and capable of inducing seizures at its worst, Son of Sardaar is the kind of film that will exhaust all synonyms of the word ‘silly’ and come out grinning, proud of its existence for reasons that the more discerning amongst us will find difficult to fathom.

The plot (I’m being mighty generous by using that word for this film) has something to do with a generations-old bloodthirsty family feud that has kept Jassi (our hero, Ajay Devgn) the last surviving member of the Randhawa clan, away from India for 25 years. He returns to stake claim on his ancestral land, blissfully unaware that while he may no longer hold grudges, his arrival has been long-awaited by the Sandhu clan, led by Balvinder Singh Sandhu aka Billu, played by Sanjay Dutt. You see, Billu walked out of his own wedding 25 years back, swearing to kill every last member of the Randhawas before he gets married. If the plot seems as old as the hills, the treatment is, expectedly, as juvenile as it can get.

I must confess that when I even begin to think of the sheer volume of braindead-ery this film contains, I feel like I’m being an obsessive-compulsive maniac, because clearly there is an audience out there for this kind of film. I refuse to believe, however, that exaggerated action and comedy must necessarily entail you to treat yourself like you don’t own a brain for two-and-a-half hours of your life.

Not surprisingly, stereotypical jokes about the intellect of the Sikhs abound in this film. In fact, the whole film is set in a village full of dunderheads, not all of whom are Sikh. I often wondered if the point of the film was to show that anyone living in Punjab uses his brain as sparingly as the people behind this film. For a film that has comedy as one of its two primary ‘pillars’, the jokes are mainly banal, lent credibility sporadically because the actors delivering the lines aren’t half bad. The film’s other supposed pillar is the action, which is also one of the weakest bits. Apart from the fact that they don’t seem to feel even slightly original and visionary, some of the execution is just tacky. CG-generated fake skies don’t help in any way.

If people find the film even slightly watchable, it is because of the actors. Ajay Devgn is goofy and endearing; Sanjay Dutt has a frightening yet charming air about him and Sonakshi Sinha, who seems to want to only do films that look like they’ll make it into that ridiculous ‘club’ of you-know-how-many crores, is actually passably pleasant in the bits that don’t require her to pretend like she is dancing with gay abandon. Mukul Dev, fresh out of cold storage, has a couple of silly lines that work quite well. The pick of the cast, though, is Juhi Chawla, who seems to be the only sensible character in the village-with-no-IQ.

This Diwali, Son of Sardaar is clearly the greater of two evils, though there is no doubt that the film is going to entertain the audience in smaller centers to the hilt. For people who liked Rowdy Rathore, Bodyguard and the likes, congratulations – chances are you’ll like this one too. For others, I think I have made the point amply clear.

This article is by guest author Pradeep Menon. Pradeep is a filmmaker and a dreamer. He loves books, rain, winters, tea and his parents. Cinema, however, is the only truth he believes in. He breathes and bleeds film, mostly in hues of saffron, white, green and blue. You can watch his short films at www.youtube.com/cyberpradeep.

Warning: clicking on "full review" will take you to an external website that could contain spoilers.

Thumbs up,
by Taran Adarsh,
Bollywood Hungama
:
...With a skeletal plot to play around with, SON OF SARDAAR may give you the feeling of deje vu, but let's face it, it needs tremendous skills to pen a screenplay that never lets you lose focus....
full review

Thumbs up,
by Subhash K Jha,
FirstPost
:
...There is so much that’s noisy about this film...Yet it’s never unpleasant noise....
full review

Thumbs up,
Movie Talkies
:
...Though the film has its share of humour to keep you entertained, the screenplay is a bit predictable....
full review

Thumbs up,
by K N Gupta,
SmasHits.com
:
...Vindoo Dara Singh and Mukul Dev fare very well and lend complete support to the lead actors....
full review

Thumbs up,
by Madhureeta Mukherjee,
Times of India
:
...Ashwni Dhir entertains in parts, with a plenty of Punju humour and goofy one-liners that crack you up...
full review

Thumbs up,
by Gayatri Sankar,
ZEENEWS.COM
:
... The action sequences are a completely fantasy. Even Rajinikanth might seek certain tips to incorporate such hard-to-believe action sequences in his next!...
full review

So-So,
by Bobby Sing,
Bobby Talks Cinema.com
:
... Ajay’s “Kadey Has Vi Leya Karo” and Sonakshi’s “Chal Jhootha” work fine with the audience almost every time they say it impressively. But its really high time Sonakshi thinks of doing some meaningful role in her chosen films, other than being there just as a beautiful showpiece....
full review

So-So,
by Anjum Shabbir,
Bolly Spice
:
...there are a couple of hummable tracks, mainly the beautiful ‘Bicharan’ and the fun ‘Pow Pow’, but otherwise not exactly a musical blockbuster. ...
full review

So-So,
by Prathmesh Jadhav,
Bollywood Life
:
...It’s a no brainer to guess what conclusion can one expect of this typical churn-off-the-mill-looking entertainer....
full review

So-So,
by Shabana Ansari,
DNA
:
...Juhi, as the eager-to-wed Pammi, delights with her comic timing. Wish we could see more of her on screen!...
full review

So-So,
by Divya Solgama,
Gomolo.in
:
...Ajay Devgan is cute in comical scenes and does his part with total conviction, though one often gets a feeling he still could’ve done much better. Looks like he was over-confident with the festive release thus making it bit half baked at places. ...
full review

So-So,
by Janhavi Samant,
MiD DAY
:
...Sanju’s sense of timing and chemistry with Devgn works. Juhi shines in a tiny role. For a change, Sonakshi also has a meaty role....
full review

So-So,
by Aakash Barvalia,
MoviezADDA
:
...However, what impresses is the screenplay, narration and the way writer-director had handled the sequences in the film, which is entirely different from the original version. ...
full review

Thumbs down,
by Stefan S,
A Nutshell Review
:
...Battles are cartoony and defying the laws of physics, and while I understand this is the comedy genre, overdoing something just makes it too artificial....
full review

Thumbs down,
Filmfare
:
...Ajay Devgn gives his simple role his heart and soul. He makes Jassi a charming and loveable Sikh. And the reason half the film’s gags work is down to Ajay’s comic timing. ...
full review

Thumbs down,
by Ravi Kandala,
fullhyd.com
:
...The track between Sanjay Dutt and his brothers Mukul Dev and Vindoo Dara Singh is funny, and the track between Sanjay Dutt and his mooh-boli-biwi Juhi Chawla (he vows not to get married until his uncle's death is avenged) is adorable....
full review

Thumbs down,
by Martin D'Souza,
Glamsham.com
:
...The sets are grand and colourful, the star power is there but with such a flimsy plot, SOS goes nowhere....
full review

Thumbs down,
by Rajeev Masand,
IBN Live
:
...nothing is more exasperating than the film's clunky romantic track between Devgn and Sinha, which feels contrived and underdeveloped, and never helped by the string of unremarkable songs that only slacken the movie's pace. ...
full review

Thumbs down,
Indicine
:
...One ‘meant-to-be hilarious’ sequence just before the interval, when Jassi is about the leave the house, well aware that he will be killed if he steps out, is close to 20 minutes long and tends to get way too irritating after a point. ...
full review

Thumbs down,
by Roshni Devi,
koimoi
:
...Ajay Devgn tries his best to play the lovable, bumbling sardar and it doesn’t work all the time...
full review

Thumbs down,
by Sanjukta Sharma,
Live Mint
:
...Devgn, Dutt and Sinha, the lead actors, are uninspired and go through the film like a rigmarole—mouthing loud dialogues like robots in a stale Punjabi scheme of things. ...
full review

Thumbs down,
by Saibal Chatterjee,
NDTV
:
...Sanjay Dutt, in the guise of Balwinder Singh Sandhu alias Billu paaji, a perennially growling and scowling patriarch of a particularly violent clan itching to avenge the killing of a family member by the male protagonist’s deceased father, is given cringe-inducing dialogue to deliver....
full review

Comments (4)

The promo doesnt impress much, seems another stupid comedy by Ajay Devgan and a dumb remake of a telugu film, may work afterall a diwali release....Ajay Devgan's comedy films never impressed me so far... I didnt find Golmaal 3 funny... a big torture actually....Lets see if it wins the clash over JTHJ

silvan has given this movie a Nay! Thumbs Down.
silvan has posted 33 comments and has rated 17 movies. See silvan's page for more details.

@Silvan yeah, I don't like those kind of comedies either. Don't know about winning over Jab Tak Hai Jaan, I just hope we get to watch two good films this Diwali.

B.H.Harsh

"With Sonakshi Sinha as lead lady, we can forget all about entertainment in the form of dance because the woman has a knack of juicing the grace out of dance."

That was quite a strong comment :P or may be it sounds so only because I seem to enjoy her lack of imhibitions for those crazy moves which clearly belong to the 80s ;)) can't think of another leading lady today who dances with such abandon (except for Anushka, maybe)

B.H.Harsh has posted 69 comments and has rated 9 movies. See B.H.Harsh's page for more details.

@Harsh Does one have to let go of grace while dancing to do so with abandon? To me she makes the dance look disgusting. I have caught myself looking the other way when she's on screen in this particular one.

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